Anywhere
by DemonLover16
Summary: Marissa heads home after having driven to L.A.
1. Chapter One

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This is a response to a fan fic challenge, theme being - Alex and Marissa driving somewhere. This is going to be two, maybe three parts.

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"Stupid Kevin... stupid boys... stupid LA..." the brunette sat in her car driving both hands firmly in place around the steering wheel. It was now close to three in the morning it was dark and of course this had to be one of the few days of the year it rained. She groaned as she could barely see up ahead, it was pouring to the point where a turtle would pass her along, "yea, well the turtle would swim... stupid rain..."

She continued to fuss over her predicament as she eventually spotted a darker figure walking along the side of the road, she slowed down and squinted, even with her lights on she could barely make out the shape and she was surprised she'd actually been able to spot it. She momentarily debated what she should do, she would usually just drive on past, but there was something about this lone being walking the streets this late at night in the weather that surrounded them that made her stop a little up ahead.

She glanced in the rear view mirror and saw the figure approach once it was by the passenger door she leaned over and opened it and motioned for the person to get in, the other being seemed to hesitate, "I'm not gonna hurt you if that's what you're thinking."

"That's exactly what you'd say if you were thinking about trying to hurt me," the voice came back from under the hoodie.

Marissa rolled her eyes, she could hear the slight sarcastic tone but let it pass, "for all I know you're a prisoner on the loose."

The figure looked at what they were wearing before speaking up again, "what happened to my bright orange jumpsuit?"

Marissa couldn't help the slight smile that formed on her face, "I don't know maybe you're from the asylum then... just shut up and get in the car."

She heard a light laugh come from her passenger before the door closed, "you sure know how to reel 'em in your van don't you?"

Marissa was about to reply to the comment but as she turned her head and noticed the long, now wet, blonde locks escaping the restraints of the hoodie, all retorts left her as she dumbly stated, "you... you're a girl."

The blonde looked down at herself lightly patting her chest, "yea... or Bob."

Marissa looked at her confused, "what?"

"Movies, start watching them," was the simple reply coming from the blonde.

Marissa just kept staring at the girl, still not believing that the hitchhiker she'd just picked up was a girl... a very attractive girl for that matter, "you know, for someone who just got rescued from the rain, you're kinda rude."

Alex let out a dry laugh, "I'm playing nice," she turned her head and met Marissa's gaze, "besides, I didn't ask you to help me out."

Marissa turned her head back to the road and then turned back around leaning over the girl who was now wetting the inside of her Mustang, she grabbed the handle and pushed open the door, "you can get out if you'd like," she replied just as dryly as she leaned back in her seat.

Alex sat there shocked, she had expected the girl to take her crap, she didn't know why but when the realization that she could end back up on the streets surfaced, she cringed. Truth be told, she didn't want to be out there again, she didn't want to keep on walking, she was tired of it, but her pride stood in her way and so she begrudgingly started to move out of the car.

She'd pushed too far and there was a part of her that felt bad, but at that point in time, what she felt most was the fact that she was an idiot, the girl in the car had been nothing but nice, with only a handful of playful comments, and she'd acted like a jerk. Once she was fully out of the car she closed the door without another word. There was a part of her that had expected the brunette girl to grab her or tell her to stay in the car, she was even more surprised when she heard and saw the car start and start to drive away.

Her head fell and she cursed herself, "everyone always fucking leaves Kelly, get used to it," she mumbled to herself, she let out a sigh when a noise caught her ear.

"HEY!"

She looked up and couldn't believe the sight staring back at her. Marissa was now standing about three feet in front of her car having parked slightly up ahead, "I said, 'hey,'" the brunette replied once she got closer to the blonde.

Alex looked up and met those mossy green eyes again, and that's when something clicked, something changed within her, there was a warmth in her heart where there only used to be coldness before. She wanted to reply something sarcastic, something witty, something along the lines of "_hay is for horses,"_ but her pre double digit mind was told to keep quiet.

Marissa just stared at the girl, she could tell something was bothering her; she had seen a sadness in her eyes when their gaze had met earlier and she had seen it intensify when she'd opened the car door and told her she could get out. She was different, yet she wasn't, Marissa felt something, a connection that went beyond what she was used to with her friends, a connection that ran deeper than even the one she and Summer, her childhood friend, shared.

She tried to flash the girl a reassuring smile, "now, if you're done acting like an idiot, get in the car."

Alex heard the playful tone but she could also hear the other tone, the one she hadn't heard in a long time, she didn't know why this stranger was so insistent, "_maybe she really is a psycho killer and by this time next year I'm going to become a campfire story,"_ but she felt reassured by the serious undertone Marissa's voice had. She nodded her head slowly, "I'm s..." but before she could finish her apology she was interrupted.

"Don't worry bout it, I get it." Marissa replied once more with a small smile on her face.

Alex would have usually argued or laughed at the thought in her mind, no one ever really understood, but something in the way this girl was looking at her let her believe she really did understand.

The two made their way back to the car, once they were in Marissa started the ignition and turned the heat on full blast, she then reached into the back and grabbed her backpack. Alex watched on curiously wondering what the girl was doing. She then saw her take out a sweater out of the bag, and as she cursed herself for having obviously made the poor girl cold, she didn't see the brunette pull out a t-shirt.

Her thoughts were only broken when she saw, out of the corner of her eye, the girl proceed to lift her tank top over her head, she thought about making a joke once again but she was stopped short as she noticed the bruises the girl had on her sides, and as Marissa leaned forward Alex couldn't help but see the bruises that were all over the girl's arms and some even down her back. She took her gaze off the brunette just in time as the girl who'd taken her in, her car, looked back to face her as she pulled her hair out of her shirt.

"Here, you can take the hoodie, yours must be soaked through and your shirt too," Marissa offered.

Alex just stared at the hoodie and then looked back up at the brunette, "I... I can't..."

Marissa just raised an eyebrow, "it's not that hard, did no one ever teach you how to put on clothes?" She tried to joke lightly.

Alex smiled, "no... they taught me to do that," she rolled her eyes, "but you're already doing more than enough, plus I already got you soaked, I couldn't..."

Marissa rolled her eyes, "oh trust me I'm fine, besides, if it makes you feel better, I'm doing it for my car," Marissa then waved her hand, "don't want the stray to ruin my seat."

Alex laughed, "oh well then, for the sake of your car, guess I can't get it wet," she replied feeling somewhat at ease now.

"Yea, don't want it to get sick," Marissa replied seriously.

Alex had just about gotten her shirt over her head when she heard what Marissa had said, she threw the sweater on before looking back at the brunette, this time she was being completely serious as she spoke up quietly, "thanks."

Marissa smiled and nodded as she then threw the car in drive and started to make her way down the highway again, "oh, I'm Marissa by the way," she casually offered figuring they should get each other's names.

"Right, uh name's Alex," the blonde replied quietly.

Marissa looked over and gave the girl who was now staring out the window a once over, "nice to meet you Alex."

Alex looked back and gave the girl a small smile, "yea, nice to meet you too Marissa."

The two went back to being silent but only for a short while before Marissa then spoke up once more, "so um... not to kill the mood but, where you heading Alex?"

Alex let out a sigh; she never took her eyes off the sight out her window as she replied a single word, so quietly that Marissa barely heard her, but when she did, she heard the infinite sadness that the girl was feeling and her heart couldn't help but swell, "anywhere."


	2. Chapter Two

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The two spent the remainder of the ride in a relative silence, neither really knew what to say and when Marissa turned her head to the side, she saw that the blonde seemed to have fallen asleep. She smiled at the sight, the girl who'd seemed so lost at first now seemed so peaceful in her sleep.

Her attention was quickly pulled back to the road when flashing lights caught her eye. She slowed the car down and came to a halt when they reached the parked police cars. An officer made his way over to Marissa who quickly got out of the car not wanting to wake the slumbering blonde.

The officer looked her over and then suspiciously checked in the car flashing his light through the driver's window. Marissa was quick to react though, her hand flew out and she pushed the man's arm down not even thinking about the fact that she was technically assaulting a law enforcer. "She's sleeping," the brunette hissed out once the cop's unimpressed eyes met hers.

He then flashed his light in her face and she only shielded her eyes as he looked her over. Decided the woman before him meant no harm he lowered his light and introduced himself, "hi my name's officer Briggs," he stuck his hand out and Marissa reached forward to shake it.

"Marissa..." she wrapped her arms around herself as she continued, "is there a problem officer?"

"The water's flooded the road, you can't pass through." She groaned out and he quickly added, "there's a motel not too far back, I'm sure they've got a room."

Marissa nodded and turned around to get back in her car after having thanked the man. She closed the door and then started up the car once again before quickly throwing it in reverse so she could turn back around. She didn't see the blonde slowly come to.

Ale slowly lifted her head off the window once she heard the door and the engine; she looked over and saw a now, once again, soaked Marissa. "You're wet," she stated quietly, slowly pulling the brunette out of her grumbling thoughts.

Marissa looked down and realized that she was in fact wet, "yea, guess I am..." she replied absentmindedly.

"O...okay... why?"

The driver turned back around and gave her a look before focussing her attention back on the road, "because I went out for a swim," she sarcastically replied.

Alex rolled her eyes, "you know, for someone who thought I was rude, you surely could teach a class on the matter."

The brunette sighed and brought one of her hands up to her forehead, "I'm sorry," she flashed Alex an apologetic smile, "long day and the officer back there," she waved her hand towards the back, "told me there was a road block."

"Oh."

"Yea, so now we get to spend the night in a motel... woo hoo!" she finished off with fake joy.

Alex nodded, but then confusion spread across her features once more, "that still doesn't explain why you're wet..."

Marissa shrugged, "I got out of the car to talk to the cop."

The blonde's brow furrowed, "since when do they need you to get out for road blocks?"

"You were sleeping, I didn't want the talking to wake you up, looked like you needed the rest."

Alex was once again shocked into silence; this stranger, who'd stopped on the side of the road, picked her up... twice, gotten soaked, had now gone back out after giving her, her only dry hoodie thus ensuring she was wet once more, all so she could sleep. There was no way she was that lucky, this girl was too good to be true. _"I'm gonna wake up at home to the sound of yells and this will have only been a dream."_

Not hearing anything from her passenger, Marissa looked back at Alex, "you okay?"

She nodded dumbly, "yea..." she looked back up, it was going to sound stupid, but she felt she had to ask, "am I dreaming?"

Marissa just gave the girl a confused look, "no, if you were dreaming, we wouldn't be stuck at," she leaned forward to look out the window, "_The Sea Side Road Motel_ for the night."

"Huh?" Alex asked still looking at Marissa, her thoughts were running so fast, she hadn't even realized they'd come to a stop.

Marissa looked at the girl once again before leaning over and pinching her. "OW! What the hell?" Alex yelled out.

Marissa stifled a laugh, "well, it's not St-Patties Day so... no, you're not dreaming." She rolled her eyes at the confused look she got, "you asked if you were dreaming, you didn't get my wit, so I pinched you. I hear that's what you're supposed to do to test the 'am-I-dreaming' theory. I guess we could try slapping? Or punching maybe?" She offered as she pulled her arm back with a smirk.

Alex just kept her wide eyes trained on the girl beside her, "you really are a psycho!"

Marissa laughed, "no, but we are at the motel, so! If you're done thinking you're dreaming, maybe we could go in and you can get some real dreams in there."

The blonde finally looked out to see a giant motel sign; she glanced back at the brunette, "you're lucky I'm playing nice."

Marissa scoffed, "please, last time you played nice, you ended back on the road, I suggest you start playing kiss-your-ass," she playfully threw back.

Alex smiled lightly, she didn't want to admit it, but it was nice being able to act like this. Marissa brought out a side of her she thought she'd lost long ago. Getting an idea, she quickly jumped out of the car and ran around opening Marissa's door, quickly throwing her own hoodie up over their heads to protect them from the rain.

As they made a light run for the door, Marissa quickly quipped, "I said play kiss-my-ass, not play the chivalry's not dead card."

Alex opened the door and didn't miss a beat, "in case you didn't know, chivalry's what they called kissing ass... it was just a way to sound better while trying to score."

Marissa stopped and looked at the girl beside her, she tried to hold it but she couldn't and before long, she burst out laughing, "okay... okay you're good..." she waited a few seconds before adding with a wink, "but I'm not that easy," and with that, she turned to the receptionist who'd watched on amused as the two bantered.

"Hi! We were told to come here cause of the road block, do you have two rooms?"

The woman threw her an apologetic look, "sorry honey..."

Marissa sighed, "but the sign..."

"We only have one room left."

Marissa beamed, "great! That'll do!" The elder woman gave her, her key and watched as Marissa spun on her heels taking Alex's arm along the way. The brunette tried to ignore the shock she felt when their skin met as she spoke, "come on Casanova, I swear I won't hurt you."

Alex tried to ignore the light tingling she felt through her arm, "that's exactly what you'd say if you WERE thinking about it!" She replied in mock fear.

The woman behind the desk could still hear Marissa's laugh coming from the outside, as her son came round the corner with an old rag in his hands; he looked at her as he spoke, "I thought we still had three rooms?"

"We do."

Her son just kept looked at her as he stopped drying his hands, "oh Arletta! I told you to stop meddling!"

"They needed it," the older woman defended with a shrug.

"How do you know?"

She just raised an eyebrow at him, daring him to contradict, he quickly sighed as he walked away, "better know what you're doing."

She rolled her eyes, "oh laugh it up kid!"

Marissa and Alex quickly made it into the room they'd been assigned, they'd just gotten in when they turned on the light switch and both sets of eyes focussed on the one spot in the room.

Marissa groaned but then her voice stopped quickly when she felt Alex's warm breath on her ear as the blonde lean in close, "maybe I am dreaming." The brunette just gave her a lost look before she continued speaking, "I get to share a bed with a beautiful girl."


	3. Chapter Three

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Alex hadn't been one to hold back, and with the blush now appearing on Marissa's cheeks, she had to admit she was proud of herself.

Marissa on the other hand wasn't doing so good, she was feeling flustered and so on instinct, she tried to cover it up by quickly retorting; "maybe it's my nightmare... stuck in a bed with either a skeazy ex-con or an asylum runner."

The blonde smiled brightly, this Marissa girl could definitely give her a run for her money, but she liked that even though she had called her a nightmare, she knew the brunette didn't mean any harm. She looked her over and saw that the girl had her arms wrapped tightly around herself, "hey, maybe you should go take a hot shower while we're here." When all she got was an odd look, she stared at the girl as she pointed out, "you're shivering."

Marissa then realized that she was indeed very cold and nodded; she slowly moved across the room and as she was about to enter and close the door behind her, she heard Alex's voice, "did you have any more clothes in your Mary Poppin's bag?"

The brunette laughed as she let out a negative, "but I should have booze and food."

Alex grinned, "my kind of girl! You want me to go get it?" As she felt she was being given a prolonged once over, she quickly added, "I'm not going to run off with your car..."

She waited until Marissa visibly relaxed and tossed her the keys, once she'd gotten the door open, she gave the girl a cheeky grin as she pulled the hoodie over her head and replied, "road block remember?"

And with those last words Marissa watched as the door closed, she shook her head as she went into the bathroom and closed the door.

When Alex came back in, she could see the door still closed and hear the shower running, she shrugged off the hoodie and heard something else, she strained her ear to hear and couldn't help but smile as she realized what she was faintly hearing was her brunette saviour's voice, singing along to some unknown song.

Alex momentarily debated how to get in the bed and quickly opted to strip off her pants as well; she hung all of the wet clothes around the room and then plopped down on the left side of the bed. It wasn't long before she heard the door creak open and saw Marissa's head poking around the corner, she grinned as she spoke, "I told you I'd be back!"

Marissa just looked at her and let her eyes roam over the blonde's body, "the car's two minutes away... how the hell d'you lose your clothes?"

"Huh! Look at that," Alex looked herself over, "this does prove one thing though?"

Marissa finally made her way around the corner, a towel wrapped around her mostly naked self, "what? That you clearly came from the crazy people?"

Alex laughed before she flashed the girl a smile, "nah, just proves that I am clearly a girl."

Marissa sat on the other edge of the bed holding the towel to her chest, her eyes scanned her hitchhiker's perfect body, the toned abs and as her eyes started to trail lower, she realized her throat had gone dry and she could feel a pair of eyes watching her every move intensely. She cleared her throat as she turned away wanting to hide the blush that was rapidly spreading.

Alex on the other hand was enjoying the effect she was having on this brunette. Her smile brightened even more when she realized Marissa's towel wearage allowed for her to see the growing redness reach down her chest and into the hidden confines of the girl's tightly wrapped towel.

"No need to feel ashamed, I'm hot and hard to resist!" Alex spoke out playfully before quietly admitting, "though, you must know what that's like."

Marissa quickly spun her head to face the blonde; she thought she should feel dirty or something akin to that, this was a stranger really. Someone who she'd picked up and had only shared a handful of comments with over the last few hours they'd known each other.

Yet, there was something different, as much as she usually would have liked nothing more than to slap anyone who treated her like a piece of meat, she felt touched by Alex's statement. The way the girl had spoke held nothing but sweetness, which was odd considering the cockiness Alex's voice had held only moments prior. She turned around to fully face the girl as she smiled, "thanks," she offered sincerely.

Alex flash her a big and bright smile, much like one a happy kid would at Christmas. She nodded her head, "if it bothers you though, I can put my clothes back on." She pointed to where she'd left the articles not wanting to make the girl uncomfortable.

Marissa shook her head, "no, no... it's... it's just you caught me off guard, but I don't want you sleeping in wet clothes, you'll make the bed wet... and me." Two could play the make-the-stranger-uncomfortable game.

Alex's mouth dropped slightly before she caught herself, she quickly shut it as she pointed out with a slight playfulness, "but you already are."

Marissa looked at her and her throat went dry once more, "how do you know?"

Alex simply smirked as she replied, "you just walked out of the shower and your hair is dripping." As she saw Marissa's relief spread she could help but chuckle.

Once Alex's laugh had died down, Marissa spoke up, "there's another towel in there if you want to take one as well."

Alex shook her head, "I'm okay, thanks though," however she just as quickly jumped up and ran into the bathroom. Marissa stared on confused but just as quickly; Alex came out and went to stand in front of the brunette.

She leaned down and threw the towel around Marissa, "you shivered," was her simple explanation as the girl looked up confused yet grateful for Alex's kind gesture. Her heart warming as she felt the blonde's hands rubbing her arms through the towel, "thanks."

After a short while Alex decided that, standing in front of a girl she only met a few hours ago, rubbing her arms through a towel, while she was only clad in her bra and underwear, was bound to end up awkward and so she moved back and then plopped back down on the bed.

Marissa felt cold as soon as Alex moved away and couldn't understand why. She turned around slightly and moved back to lean against the head board joining Alex. "So, it's like... five in the morning now... what do you want to do?" The brunette asked as she got comfortable.

Alex looked over to see the girl still holding on tightly to the towel, she let her eyes roam the expanse of the girl's legs before clearing her throat and replying, "um, we could always see what's on motel TV?" She asked as she waved the remote she'd found as she glanced on her bedside table.

The taller of the two shrugged as she answered, "sure, but don't think I'll be watching cheap motel porn with you if that's all that's on."

Alex laughed out loud, "alright, I'll make sure it's high class porn, that way we can both watch."

Marissa joined in on the laugh, "good thinking," once the laughter died down the two settled down and the brunette stared at the screen as Alex mindlessly flipped through hoping to land on something.

The television excitement died down after a whole five minutes as Alex grunted and turned it off tossing the remote off to the side. "We might as well have set off to read the Bible," she spoke with a pout.

Marissa looked at her shock etched onto her features as she gasped and grabbed her chest with one hand, "you take that back! The Lord's book is not something to mock!"

Alex's eyes grew wide as she slowly turned her head to the side to see the girl she was sharing a room with, "I... I'm so...sorry; I didn't mean it in a bad way I just... I meant... like..." her rambling was cut short when she hears Marissa's laugh fill the room, she gasped herself as she spoke, "I should have known!" She grunted before continuing on, "urgh, no Bible reader would want high class porn."

"Oh no, of course not," Marissa shook her head, "they'd definitely want the cheap kind," she rolled her eyes.

"You know what I meant!"

Marissa arched a brow, "what? That you seem to think religious folk want cheap porn?"

Alex swatted Marissa's arm, "no you psycho, that they wouldn't want any period!" She quickly tried defending.

"How many Catholic folks HAVE you met?" Marissa asked playfully.

Alex's eyes turned dark, "not many... but I've met my fair share of Christians..."

Upon seeing the lost look she'd first seen in Alex's eyes when she told her she could get out of the car, Marissa turned serious as well, "I'm so..."

It was the blonde's turn to cut off the apology, "no need. Not your fault," she replied just as sombrely. An eerie silence all of a sudden swallowed the room, yet somehow it wasn't uncomfortable, but Alex felt the need to break it after a few moments, "um, you know, I never really thanked you for what you did..."

"What do you mean?"

Alex just stared at her, "really? Do you not remember picking my ass up on the highway while it was pouring rain?"

"Oh, don't worry about it."

"I'm sorry; do you usually pick up people on the side of the road?"

"No. You're the first actually."

"Do you usually not ask them eight thousand questions? And do you usually let them sleep when there's a roadblock? Do you usually find a room for them to stay in, and then end up staying in the same room with them when there's only one room left? Because if the answer to any or all of those is yes, then let me tell you, we have a bigger problem than you shrugging off picking a stranger up off the streets." The blonde continued on as if she hadn't heard the brunette answer.

Marissa just gave the girl a look, "no actually as I said before, I've never picked anyone up before so, it'd be a little hard to do any of the previous questions without someone in the car. So no, no bigger problems here, other than me apparently shrugging off picking a stranger up off the streets."

"Oh... okay... we... well thank you."

Marissa smiled, "no problem. But... now that you've brought it up, can operation 'question-the-hell-out-of-the-hitchhiker' begin?" The brunette asked playfully wanting the blonde to feel comfortable once more.

"No."

"Come on Alex, I really have been wanting to ask you how you could possibly ever consider being seen in that hideous hoodie you had on before."

The blonde just raised a brow at the girl, "hey! I'll have you know that hoodie was really good to me!"

The girl scoffed, "yea, okay, made you look like you were wearing a potato sack."

"Oh, that's real clever from the girl who's now wearing a towel." Alex retorted with a roll of her eyes.

"You should know that togas are very in at the moment, you know... with college kids."

"Okay first, it's a bed sheet you use and not a towel, second, more like with frat kids, I'd like to see a teacher give a lecture to a roomful of toga wearing students."

"They used to," the brunette pointed out.

"What?"

"Yea, think about it, ancient philosophers."

"Oh my God, you brought the Romans into this?" Alex grunted.

"Ancient Romans, seriously, is your attention span that short? We have loads to learn from the Romans I'll have you know."

"I'll give you that, at least more than the Aztecs," Alex replied with a smirk.

"Well yea, only so much to learn about them," Marissa replied quietly.

"Exactly!"

The two stayed quiet as they stared at each other, there was something about the moment, something that neither could explain but they both were quite content in just staying in that moment, staying in what had become a comfortable dynamic.

The silence was only broken a few minutes later when Marissa's tiredness showed it's true colours in the form of a yawn. As Marissa batted her hand away trying to chase it off Alex couldn't help the bright smile that adorned her features as she looked at what she decided had to be the most adorable sight in the world.

"Maybe we should try our hand at sleeping, how long had you been driving?" Alex asked quietly.

The brunette shrugged, "I don't know... a few hours before I found you, like two or three."

"Alright, come on, bed, you need to have your wits about you for tomorrow."

"You mean today?"

The blonde thought that over before shrugging herself, "whatever, same difference."

Marissa laughed lightly as she nodded, before trying to resituate herself as she moved to lie down pulling the blankets up and wrapping them over herself.

Alex just stared at her, "ok, so you're okay with me spending the night in nothing but the bare minimum so I don't get the bed wet, but you're going to get under here with towels? Uh uh, I don't think so!"

Marissa turned so she was laying on her back but had her head angled towards the blonde, "are you trying to see me in, and I quote, 'nothing but the bare minimum?' Because that's not going to happen, just so you know."

Alex grinned, "well, a girl can always try, but!" She pointed at Marissa's shivering form, "here's the kicker, you're going to keep on doing that, shivering that is, if you stay with wet towels. The blankets are going to get humid and you'll get even colder."

Marissa sighed, "I don't like how smart you sound just so you know."

"A lot of people don't... but you're special."

"Ha! Oh yea and why's that? I just get your special kind of smart? The one covered in sarcasm and flying comments?"

The blonde shook her head, "no, I usually keep quiet because they don't."

Marissa's eyes found those blue ones, she stared into them and tried to decipher what the girl meant, it didn't take long before the girl's intentions were coming in loud and clear, "you're different," Marissa stated quietly.

The hitchhiker's head tilted to the side, "why's that?" She asked just as quietly, she found it very strange that they could go from being so playful with one another to so serious in a matter of seconds, but she had to admit it, she liked how it felt.

"I... I don't know, you just... you are."

It was Alex's turn to stare into the eyes of the girl who was now laying down, she could see the struggle the brunette was having, she could see the thoughts running wild, "you're different too."

It was a simple statement, but that one statement was the one that let Marissa know the blonde understood what she'd meant earlier when she'd called the blonde different. The two spent a few moments in the quiet that had settled upon them, it was strange, that these two, who had just met, could lie there quietly as they stared into the other's eyes.

What was an even scary thought was that neither one of them felt the need to uphold the barrier they usually kept up; there was just something about both of them that allowed them to drop their guard.

Alex was the one to break the silence once more, as she saw the taller girl shiver once more, "I get it, I mean if you're uncomfortable and all, but after everything you've done for me today, I couldn't possibly let you sleep like that. You'll be sure to catch something. I can sleep on the floor... or the bathroom even if you'd rather."

A small smile formed on Marissa's lips at Alex's thoughtfulness, "as sweet and funny as that would be, I'm not putting you out anymore than you already seem to be," Marissa explained slowly, not wanting to offend the blonde. Judging by the girl's reaction, the comment didn't seem to have offended her and so Marissa let out a shaky breath as she slowly moved herself from under the confines of the blanket as she then went to remove the towel.

It took the blonde everything she had to not let out the audible gasp as she saw Marissa's both gorgeous body revealed, and the expanse of the bruises that ran down the girl's back. She couldn't help but wonder what had happened to the girl, she found it odd that she was so worried about someone she barely knew, when she had trouble caring about anyone back home. She, however, made no comments as the girl slid back under the covers.

All the blonde did was wait until those mossy green eyes met her own once more before smiling kindly as she softly whispered, "isn't that better?"

Marissa nodded, something seemed to have changed in those moments, as she stared back into the intense blue-green eyes of the blonde, she could no longer detect the sarcastic undertone, all that was there was something she couldn't quite figure out just yet.

And in a moment of boldness, most probably brought on by that emotion she couldn't quite put her finger on, she replied so quietly Alex only heard because of the stillness in the room, "it's still cold though." And with that said Marissa slowly turned onto her right side after having made sure to keep eye contact with Alex a few seconds longer.

It took the blonde a few moments to register all that had just happened; she released a shaky breath as she stared at Marissa's back, now facing her. She tried to review her options regarding what she should and shouldn't do. But as she flashed back to the intent look the brunette girl had given her moments before rolling over, her mind had been set. Besides, she wasn't going to fight her hormones that were simply screaming at her to do something.

With those last thoughts in mind, the blonde moved closer, slowly, she realized her breath was still ragged, but as she finally reached right behind the girl she held it in, almost in fear that she had misinterpreted what Marissa really had meant and she was now going to get shut down like yesterday's door.

She both felt and heard the brunettes own deep intake of air as she slowly lay her left hand gently on the girl's hip, conscious of the bruises that were there. Before she could even process the situation anymore, she felt Marissa move slightly until she felt the girl's long fingers take hold of her hand, in that second she grew scared, maybe pushed it, but that thought soon left her as she felt her own hand being dragged downwards, as Marissa kept a strong hold on it, wrapping it around her stomach.

Alex let out the breath she'd been holding as she moved only slightly to be comfortable, she couldn't help but smile as she felt Marissa also adjusting further as she pressed herself into the blonde. As tired as the two were, neither one of them wanted to fall asleep, in that moment, both realized that was the safest they'd ever felt, and they'd found that within a stranger's arms. It was a scary thought, yet that blanket of warmth reassured them both that this was right, however confusing this night had been.

After a few moments, Alex snuggled in tighter as her hand spread out, slowly dragging her thumb up and down the girl's firm stomach. But as she tightened her hold she failed to notice that her arm had pressed in on Marissa's bruised side, causing the brunette to let out a hiss, as the pain from earlier travelled.

Alex cursed herself as she gently broke the silence, "shit I'm so sorry Marissa, I really didn't mean to..."

The blonde felt the other girl shake her head, "n... no it's fine, you couldn't have known."

But she did know: Alex couldn't figure out if Marissa truly thought she hadn't seen them earlier, or if she just hadn't thought about it, the slightly shorter girl moved her hand from where it had been resting and gently moved it to Marissa's side slowly rubbing the skin she knew was bruised there.

Marissa felt her eyes shut tight as she fought hard to not let the tears go; she'd spent all day trying to forget about that, she didn't want to think about it, but it was getting increasingly hard as she felt Alex's careful and gentle hands on her side. In that moment, she hoped Alex was simply reacting to her hiss. She'd completely forgotten about her back and was now hoping the girl behind her hadn't noticed earlier.

No such luck; she just as softly felt Alex's hands move from her side and down over her back as she felt the girl move herself slightly back so she would have more room. A tear slipped by and she cursed herself for getting emotional over this whole thing, but then just as quietly once again she heard Alex speak, "I don't know who did this Marissa, if you want to talk, I'm here... I don't know who would do this," the last part, Alex had spoken so quietly Marissa knew she hadn't been meant to hear, but she had.

She felt herself slowly start to lose it, "A... Alex?" She choked out the name as she blindly reached behind her wanting the blonde to hold her once more.

Alex was about to reply when she saw the outline of Marissa's hand grabbing around the air, she understood what the girl meant and didn't push any farther, she moved her hand so the brunette could take it and do with it what she wanted. She felt herself being wrapped around the taller girl once more, and as she settled herself once again she could feel the sobs coming from the brunette, she could hear her choking back her tears.

It shocked Alex that she felt her own heart ache at the thought and sight of Marissa breaking down, she found herself wanting to protect her, to be there for her, to put a stop to these bruises, she did the only thing she could in that moment, she held the girl tighter, being careful this time of the bruises, as she leaned her head closer and kissed the girl's bare shoulder on instinct, quietly reassuring her; "I'm right here, not going anywhere."

She felt the brunette choke back another sob and just kept her hold around the girl strong, letting her know nothing else was going to happen, not while she was around. The two spent the remainder of the night like that, Marissa hanging onto Alex's hand with Alex's head buried against her shoulder. That's how the two fell asleep in that early morning, and that's how the two woke up later on in the afternoon.

Except, as Marissa slowly blinked her eyes open she realized she was facing something other than the wall. She blinked a few more times as her eyes finally focussed on the fact that she was indeed staring at skin. She then became aware of the soft hand running up and down her back. She let out a breath as she went on instinct and snuggled herself deeper into the blonde's embrace.

The way this girl was making her feel was something she'd never imagined possible, she simply wanted to melt into the girl's arms, they made her feel as if everything was okay, she was afraid once more, afraid that once this was over she'd be back where she was yesterday, she didn't want to go back.

Alex had been awake for a while now and she couldn't help the smile that spread as she felt the brunette move in to her. The smile fell however when she felt the girl go stiff, she knew what the girl was thinking, and just as quietly as the night before, she broke the silence in the room, "hey it's okay, I'm not going anywhere," and with that said she made sure the brunette felt her tighten her arms around her once more. It was a new, yet welcome feeling for Alex, to feel herself want to make someone else feel safe. She found with this Marissa girl, it was easy to let herself feel that.

And as she felt the brunette ease into her arms once more she couldn't help herself as she kissed the top of the girl's head. She didn't know where they stood, or where they would stand in a few hours, but she knew she'd try and stay by the girl's side for as long as she could, whatever they may be and where ever they may go.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Marissa's groggy morning voice, something she decided was the cutest sound ever, "th... thanks." Marissa moved back slightly so her's and the bright blue-green eyes could meet.

"No problem," Alex replied gently as she then thought to add her own, "thank you." She smiled at the confused look she was being given, "seriously? Must we go back to how you rescued me?" Alex joked lightly wanting to get the girl's mind off whatever was bothering her.

Marissa laughed as she realized what Alex was doing, truly appreciative of the gesture, "oh right, well I mean, what was I going to do? Leave you out there? Psycho's AND criminals alike are both kinds of people I don't like messing with, something to do with the whole wires crossing and you could have tracked me down you know? Done some weird shit as pay back for not stopping."

Alex wanted to reply but as she heard Marissa's words she couldn't help but laugh loudly, "you're insane," was all she managed to get out after catching her breath.

Marissa smiled at the sight of the blonde, as she sat still catching her breath, her blonde, sleep ruffled hair, in place, the brunette found herself wanting to not let this moment end, wanting to wake up like this every day, she shook her head to get rid her thoughts from bombarding her, wanting only to focus on the now.

"Yea, well..." she rolled over to look at the clock before rolling back, "I learned from the best over the last twelve hours," she replied with a grin, and then as if the time finally registered she jumped out of bed, "oh my God! It's three! Shit!"

Alex moved so she could hold her head up with her hand as she watched the brunette move around the room franticly "are you going somewhere?" The blonde asked casually, even though inside she was dying, hoping the brunette truly didn't have somewhere she needed to be.

As if it finally clicked Marissa spun around now only wearing her jeans, her torso still left uncovered, "actually... you're right," she fell back onto the bed letting out a deep sigh, "I don't have anywhere to be."

The blonde kept her eyes on the girl as Marissa seemed to be struggling with her thoughts; she waited until the girl spoke once more, "wow... this is the first time I don't have to be anywhere in a long time..."

"Really?" Alex asked surprised.

Marissa nodded, "yea... not anymore... not after yesterday anyways," she explained vaguely.

Studying the girl's features, Alex decided not to push anymore, she reached over and let her left hand fall on Marissa's arm, once she had the girl's attention she kept eye contact as she spoke, "I know it may seem strange, but I don't either, you maybe... you want to just find somewhere to be then?"

Marissa kept contact, she could see the vulnerability Alex was feeling, she could see how the blonde had gone out on an uncomfortable limb, she smirked, wanting to lighten the mood, as she replied, "did you just invite yourself in my car again?" Marissa saw the blonde nod with a small smile; she stopped her teasing as she smiled reassuringly, "sounds great, how bout we go check out?"

Alex let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding, and with a light squeeze to Marissa's arm, she nodded before slowly moving to get out of the bed. The girls both got ready, a comfortable silence spread around the room, within five minutes the two turned ready to go out, Alex smiled kindly as she went to open the door for Marissa, who happily stepped out glad to see the rain had stopped falling and the sun was back in its rightful California place.

She waited until Alex was out by her before she started walking towards main lobby; the two girls entered and were surprised to see a man behind the counter instead of the older woman from the night before. Marissa went up to pay for the room and, she was slightly surprised when she heard the man speak, his faint southern accent coming through, much like the one of the woman who'd been there the night before, "I really am sorry bout Arletta, I do hope the room was alright."

Marissa just stared at him confused, "why would you be sorry? The room was great, thanks."

He nodded, "yea, but she told the two of yous we only had one room left. We had three, I hope it didn't cause any problems," he spoke kindly.

Before Marissa could answer though she felt the blonde come up behind her, "oh no, don't worry, it was fine really."

The man looked from one to the other before he nodded as he saw Marissa agree with the blonde, "good to know, you two ladies take care now."

"Thanks," they both spoke at the same time. With that taken care of, the two went back outside and headed towards the car, "hey Alex?" Marissa asked.

The blonde turned around and just in time as she saw Marissa's arm toss something at her, "no more road blocks."

Alex beamed at the thought of driving the Mustang, "sweet!"

Marissa couldn't help but laugh at the blonde's child-like grin, as she got in on the passenger side. She closed the door and buckled herself in, watching as Alex's eyes roamed the dashboard excitedly, the blonde got the car started and in gear and pulled out of the motel lot, just as she was about to head onto the road she turned around to face Marissa, "so umm... not to kill the mood but, where you heading Marissa?"

Marissa turned back to face the blonde as well and as a smile spread across her face she moved her hand so it was on top of Alex's, giving it a light squeeze she softly replied, "anywhere."


End file.
